The present invention relates to a controller and detector system for microfluidic systems, and more particularly, to a microfluidic controller and detector system for use with assay systems for performing chemical and biochemical analyses.
Analysis of chemical and biochemical samples often requires detection and identification of the constituent elements of the sample. Microfluidic devices are often used to separate and control movement of the elements of the sample to detect a property of the elements with a detection system. Microfluidics technology moves small volumes of fluids through channels on a chip to perform a multitude of laboratory tests to obtain biochemical and chemical information. This laboratory-on-a-chip technology enables microfluidics systems to support a range of applications in drug discovery, bioanalytical research and medical diagnostics, including DNA, RNA, and cell analyses.
The microfluidic devices typically include multiple wells that are interconnected with microchannels for transport of the sample. Application of a voltage across the channels permits the electrophoretic migration of macromolecular species in the sample. The samples often include an intercalating dye that becomes more fluorescent upon binding to the species of the sample. The fluorescent dyes are used to identify and locate a variety of cell structures such as specific chromosomes within a DNA sequence.
A variety of devices have been designed to read fluorescent labeled samples. In general the devices include at least one light source emitting light at one or more excitation wavelengths and a detector for detecting one or more fluorescent wavelengths. The light source is often a laser that emits light at one narrow center wavelength (single mode laser).
Despite the improvements achieved using parallel screening methods and other technological advances, such as robotics and high throughput detection systems, current screening methods still have a number of associated problems. For example, screening large numbers of samples using existing parallel screening methods have high space requirements to accommodate the samples and equipment, e.g., robotics etc., high costs associated with that equipment, and high reagent requirements necessary for performing the assays. Additionally, in many cases, reaction volumes must be very small to account for the small amounts of the test compounds that are available. Such small volumes compound errors associated with fluid handling and measurement, e.g., due to evaporation, small dispensing errors, or the like. Additionally, fluid handling equipment and methods have typically been unable to handle these volume ranges within any acceptable level of accuracy due in part to surface tension effects in such small volumes.
What is desirable is an integrated system to increase productivity, increase time- and cost-efficiency, rendering conventional laboratory procedures less cumbersome, less labor-intensive and less expensive and requiring fewer highly trained personnel.